Strawberry's Journey in Berriez
by danielpetiteamie
Summary: When Strawberry's house is caught in a tornado and thrown into the sky, Strawberry and Pupcake find themselves trapped in a land that calls itself Oz. How will they make it back? A request by retro mania based on the 2007 episodes "Toto's Tale" and "Where the Gem Berries Glow".


**A request from retro mania based on the 2007 (I think?) episodes "Toto's Tale" and "Where the Gem Berries Glow". I hope he likes it but I'm horrible at writing T~T (I'm pretty sure this is an improvement from my last story though XDD I was in PRIMARY DONT JUDGE JDDFGHHGJJ)**

 **In advance, Hasbro owns all the characters and the storyline.**

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A cold wind weaved through her wavy hair, and she lifted her gaze to the quickly darkening sky. Clouds expanded like flour in the biting air and leaves were tossed furiously from the strawberry hedges. The hood of her jacket flapped wildly and she could feel her hat slipping back the longer she faced the wind. The strawberry field rippled with movement, leaves taking flight like a massive murder of crows away from the hard ground. The dirt path beneath her bare feet was dusty, unpleasant, hostile, and the sun, which had been brimming with hope just what seemed like moments ago, had vanished.

And yet she stood out like a sore thumb among the dark, dull background of the leaves and the gloomy sky, her clothes, her eyes, and her smile lighting up the world around her.

Strawberry Shortcake slammed a hand down on her head just as her hat was about to flip off. "That does _not_ look good," she muttered, and hastily stripped the last strawberries off the bush she was working on. "Pupcake, you done over there?"

Her dog barked and bit the handle of his own little basket, lifting it off the ground. She smiled. "Good boy." Then she cast another look over her shoulder.

The wind had gathered, sucked into a grey spiral of destruction, pulling in their direction. It was still a while away - they had around five? ten minutes before it arrived - but she could make out vast shadows of dust drafts and branches, clothes, was that a _tree?,_ all getting torn from their original positions and hurled into the sky.

A tornado.

"Oh, great." Strawberry cursed and hefted Pupcake under an arm. "I suppose I don't have time to get my shoes," she said reluctantly, squinting at her pink flats, a distant bright dot among the leaves at the other end of the hedge. "And those were my favorites too.."

A leaf hit her in the eye, as if to slap her priorities back into her face. She sighed, but shook it off before taking off in the direction of her house.

The strawberry hedges sped past in a blur of green, the ground hard beneath her bare feet. Every breath drew fatigue into her, and suddenly her legs were burning with weariness. Was it a side effect of running away from the tornado? Was even the air against her?

"I wonder what caused it so suddenly," she remarked breathlessly as her house came into view at the end of the strawberry fields. Pupcake barked loudly over the howls of the wind.

The bright, massive strawberry squatted invitingly, waiting for its owner to arrive. But the wind behind her tore at anything exposed to it - her face, her clothes, and the strawberries, tumbling out of the wicker basket. Her entire body was screaming now, her brain telling her to stop, to let go, to give in. Sweat was trailing down her neck, and her hoodie suddenly felt like it was made of lead. Maybe they wouldn't make it after all. Maybe they would be swept up like paper, tossed around up there with countless other objects. Maybe she should-

But they were almost there, she told herself firmly, and Strawberry Shortcake never, ever gave up! She could make it. No, she _would_ make it.

She would make it, her body screamed, her hand stretching towards the doorknob, the cold metal familiar under her dainty fingers...

And she yanked the door open, staggered in, and slammed it shut, the wood rattling with the force of the wind and her power. Outside, the wind screeched in frustration, and like a hungry animal it pushed against her door in anger before turning away.

They had made it.

Strawberry leaned against the comforting hardness of her door and sank to her knees, panting, staring unseeingly at the pink table in the center of her room, the winding stairs to her bedroom, the little wardrobe in the corner, and the photos, the endless wall of photos, of her, of Pupcake, of her friends, of her and her friends, of everybody that meant the world to her. Pupcake whined and wriggled out from under her arm, bounding over to the table and setting the basket down.

Trotting back, he nudged her hand with a wet nose. She stared down at him, and finally relaxed, slumping and stroking his head weakly, relieved beyond belief. "We made it," she said breathlessly, the basket of strawberries at her side forgotten. "We're safe now, Pupcake." He barked enthusiastically and snuggled into her lap.

Yes, she thought happily, our strawberry fortress is absolutely impregnable. We're going to be safe and sound right here, at home.

Yet as she shifted her weight onto her feet, as she began to stand up, and as Pupcake slid off quickly, the walls around her gave an ominous creak.

Panic crept slowly back into her chest and her heart started beating at an impossible pace. Her eyes darted around, all traces of relief gone. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead and the short pink hairs at the base of her neck stood straight like soldiers in an army battalion. Her dog, beside her, was shaking uncontrollably, tail erect, ears shooting straight up. "What was that?" Strawberry said, her voice quivering.

Then the ground shook and she knew exactly what the answer to her own question was as the strawberry house was torn from the earth and thrown into the sky.


End file.
